When the sun rose, the dormitory was in an uproar.
Everyone was excited by An Seo-myeong’s surprise appearance.
The kids hugged An Seo-myeong and started jumping around. The loud cheers made the dorm shake. Even the aunt who helped with chores was happy and prepared meat dishes for all three meals.
It was truly a festive atmosphere.
Cheonjiharang and Haeshin—
Two places where you couldn’t find this kind of warmth existed here in Bonryeong. A day or two passed, and by the third day, Jae-eon, who had tossed and turned all night before finally falling asleep late, noticed the unusually quiet outside.
He carefully opened the door.
A cold breeze swept over his skin. It seemed the heating had been off for quite some time.
That must mean everyone went out?
Jae-eon cautiously crept down the stairs. The first floor was completely empty.
The dorm was eerily quiet, no sounds at all. It was the first time it had been this empty.
‘Isn’t today Saturday?’
His sense of time was pretty fuzzy, so he wasn’t sure. Of course, whether weekday or weekend, if a request came in, exorcists had to move. But for a whole group to vanish like this was extremely rare.
Maybe they went to purify the village again? Probably not. Puzzled, Jae-eon headed toward the kitchen. His stomach growled loudly after going hungry all day yesterday and today.
As usual, he picked up the black lunchbox sitting alone on the second shelf of the fridge. A short note was stuck on the cold container: [Heat before eating^^].
It was the aunt’s thoughtful way of caring for his irregular meal times.
Click— Opening the box, it was packed full of ribs. The salty-sweet smell was strong. But Jae-eon didn’t look very pleased. Rather, he looked a bit uncomfortable.
‘This is way too much.’
He broke out in a cold sweat at the generous portion—enough for several people. Just looking at it made him feel full already. There were even other side dishes packed tightly… hmm, it was way too much.
‘I guess I’ll have to share it until tomorrow.’
Thinking he had no choice, he moved toward the microwave to heat the lunchbox.
“Want to eat that?”
Startled!
Suddenly hearing a voice, Jae-eon almost dropped the lunchbox. He gripped it tighter and slowly turned around. He thought no one was there, but An Seo-myeong was standing, tapping Jae-eon’s shoulder repeatedly with a massager that looked like something grandfathers would use. His usual expression was calm as he bowed slightly.
“Hello.”
Even now, polite.
Caught off guard, Jae-eon responded, “Ah, h-hello.”
“Are you going to eat?”
His eyes went straight to the ribs. Surprisingly. His face showed no appetite at all. Maybe because he was in his prime?
‘Good. It was plenty anyway.’
“...Uh? I-I, I’m g-going to eat, uh, eat.”
But An Seo-myeong clearly wasn’t interested in the ribs and bluntly refused Jae-eon’s offer.
“No.”
He glanced at the wall clock and spoke slowly.
“It’s already 3 o’clock. If you eat now, won’t it be awkward to eat dinner later?”
‘I’m not going to eat dinner anyway, so it’s fine.’
Jae-eon fiddled with the lunchbox instead of replying.
“Hmm…”
An Seo-myeong’s eyes moved from the clock to Jae-eon’s thin stomach.
His gaze lingered quite a bit.
“Your stomach looks small too.”
Who… who to?
Jae-eon briefly wondered whether he should point out that he was bigger and taller. But then he thought of An Seo-myeong growing up quickly someday, and his mouth stayed shut.
“They’re planning an outdoor pork belly party soon.”
An Seo-myeong said something totally out of the blue.
Then, unusually, he started talking nonstop. In short, everyone decided to gather and grill samgyeopsal together at 6 p.m. that evening.
“They said it was supposed to be a surprise… but I accidentally announced it in the group chat I’m in, so everyone knows now.”
An Seo-myeong muttered, “Idiots,” with a dry tone. But it didn’t sound like he disliked it.
‘Ah, so that’s why the dorm was quiet?’
They were officially throwing a party to celebrate his discharge.
It was good to have that small question resolved, but the problem came next.
“Come with us.”
An awkward invitation.
“Huh?”
“Not cold meat.”
An Seo-myeong gestured toward the lunchbox Jae-eon was holding.
“Freshly grilled meat tastes better. I’ll grill it for you.”
His black eyes sparkled as he mimicked cutting meat. Apparently, he took great pride in grilling meat well. It seemed like he wanted to brag about it, which made Jae-eon feel a little sorry.
“Ah, I…”
Suddenly, he recalled what happened a few days ago.
The kid soaked in rain, pouring out resentment. His voice accusing Jae-eon for not trying hard enough weighed heavily on his heart.
“I…”
Hesitating, Jae-eon stammered his refusal.
“I, I’m n-not r-really fond of p-pork belly.”
Then, as if An Seo-myeong was about to grab him, he hastily turned away holding the lunchbox. He was so flustered that he even forgot about heating the lunchbox. Just as he was leaving the kitchen and halfway up the stairs, a loud voice called out from afar.
“Hyung!”
Hyung?
Jae-eon turned around, puzzled, and saw An Seo-myeong raising one hand to look at him. His expression was still calm.
“This!”
Looking closely, he was holding something. It looked like a cheap doll you might get from a claw machine.
“It’s my talisman. If I don’t have it, I have bad luck all day.”
Jae-eon had never seen him carrying it around before, but An Seo-myeong was steadfast.
“I just got discharged recently. I’m just being careful! I’ll take good care of it, but just in case you happen to! See it! Please bring it back!”
It was a promise! He shouted it loudly in the dormitory of only two people. Jae-eon had no choice but to mumble an affirmative reply.
Well… did he really have to deliver it?
Usually, you’d keep your talisman carefully on you.
But exactly at 7 p.m.,
Right outside Jae-eon’s door, where he was thinking of enjoying an early bath in the empty dorm,
Lay a cursed doll.
No, the cheap doll that An Seo-myeong had stubbornly insisted was a ‘talisman.’
“...?”
Why was this here?
“Hey, why the old annex? I thought we were eating outside.”
The annex was a separate building long neglected at Bonryeong.
Kim Joo-won frowned while dusting off the piles of dirt here and there. But it was hard to find a new place now, so he held back his annoyance and enjoyed watching his excited juniors.
“Worried the teachers might catch us.”
Lee Kyunghak smiled slyly and rummaged through his bag. Then he pulled out some glistening dew.
Are you crazy?
Drinking and partying were strictly forbidden at Bonryeong, and alcohol was only used during rituals. Sure, on off days, some paired up and went downtown to drink, but Kim Joo-won was different. Since becoming an exorcist, he had firmly cut off unnecessary pleasures.
“I’m gonna die.”
“Just a little bit.”
“I feel like I’m gonna die early because of you, Kyunghak.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll live long because you have a bad temper.”
“Wanna see what a bad temper is?”
“Please go easy on me.”
After a long quarrel, Kim Joo-won shook his head and pulled out his buzzing phone from his back pocket.
-[Annex?]
It was An Seo-myeong.
Kim Joo-won lazily typed [Yeah].
The reply came back in a minute.
-[On my way]
[Don’t get confused between main and back gates]
-[Okay]
[Okay]
After roughly giving some cautions, he put his phone away.
Let’s just grill some meat.
“Oppa! We’re probably gonna run out of ssamjang!”
Hearing a distant voice, Kim Joo-won replied “Okay” and put down the tongs he was holding. Of course, if it’s not enough, they’ll buy more. He muttered with a sigh and grabbed his wallet from his jacket.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Bring melon bars!”
“I want a Doolgicon!”
“Yeah.”
Stepping on the creaky wooden floor, he went down to the first floor. The noisy chatter faded away, and only the gentle rustling of bushes remained. Just as he reached to turn the door handle—
“Joo-won? Is that you?”
A voice came from outside the front door.
“Sir?”
It was Kim Young.